The Elevator
by Kisa Kisa Yum Yum
Summary: AU It started with an elevator. Sakura was used to Karin bringing home strange men, but she'd never liked one like this before. sasusaku Contains minor suggestive themes and excessive eating of muffins... you have been forewarned.
1. Meeting Over Roommates

**I know what some of you are thinking. 'Don't start another story, hoe! Work on your other one!' But this idea has been in my head for eons…and I just had to type it out and post it. I'll update Life's Better With An Uchiha On Top soon….don't worry!**

**Disclaimer: No own-y the Naruto-y. Too poor-y. Comprende-y? Nor do I own the song 'All Around Me' by Flyleaf. No sue-y.**

This is a story about an elevator.

Not a new, fancy elevator; no, this elevator was old and faulty, prone to being slow and frustrating.

Afore mentioned elevator was located in a rather dismal apartment building in the shabby part of town. The owner of this building wasn't very concerned about it, for he owned much larger buildings that required his undivided attention. In fact, he only kept this one building because he hoped to purchase the property next door, tear both places down, and build anew on the lots. But I digress. This is a story of an elevator. And two people.

One was Sakura Haruno. A tomboy of twenty years of age, she was bold and daring, opinionated and obstinate. Passionate about civil rights, environmental issues, and justice, she was often ridiculed for her ways, but held fast. At the moment, she was working two jobs to put herself through medical school. Coming from a poor family, she had no help, and it wasn't easy, even with her scholarship.

So she lived in a tiny apartment, in a shabby apartment building, with an elevator she rode in everyday. She hated three things in life; unnecessary violence, rich and pompous people, and that elevator.

The other person is Sasuke Uchiha. His history is the complete opposite of Sakura's. Born into the Uchiha family, one of the most prestigious and rich families in Konoha, he was spoiled and pampered from infancy. Now, at twenty years of age, he was cold, aloof, distant, and obnoxious. He expected--no, _demanded_--respect and obedience. Whether it was with one of his numerous women, or in the office, he dominated. So, with a secure position as the CEO of a large corporation, he was very successful.

But he has never been in love. He's had, again, numerous affairs, flings, and one-night-stands, but has never shared special feelings of the romantic sort. But he was content with his life, just the way it was. Until the elevator.

You're probably wondering how someone of Sasuke's stature came to be in this building. Well, it was simple. After a wild party on a Friday night, he went home with a woman; this woman who just happened to have a roommate.

Sakura was used to Karin bringing home strange men; it had become routine. And if they messed with her, she'd shoot them down quickly. After all, she had a mean right hook that sent men's jaws to the floor--literally.

So, on this particular Friday night, she wasn't surprised that, while doing her schoolwork, the door opened and Karin stumbled in with a handsome man.

Now, Karin was pretty, what with her (granted, strange) long red hair, red eyes, and curvy figure. But her 'guys' were usually very average-looking. But tonight there was nothing average about _him._

His hair, a deep black, was spiked strangely in the back, but the style worked well on him. She couldn't see his eyes behind his sunglasses, but she had a feeling they were as dark as his hair. He wore a dark blue dress shirt along with black slacks that made him look rich and classy.

Of course, they were both intoxicated. Flushed cheeks, glazed eyes--all the symptoms. Sakura sighed. She wished Karin wouldn't come home drunk. She herself didn't drink; she hated the taste.

Karin halted in her tracks when she saw her sitting on the couch, legs curled up underneath her with several medical textbooks open around her and on her lap. "Oh, Sakura! I thought you were working tonight!" she exclaimed.

"No, I got Ino to cover my shift." Sakura frowned at the redhead.

"Oh, well…" Karin glanced at the man, then back to her. "Uh, Sakura, this is Sasuke. Sasuke, this is Sakura, my little sister."

Well, that was a first. Sakura's mouth opened to belay the lie, then closed it and shook her head. Why waste her breath? It's not like her and this Sasuke guy would last too long, anyways. "Yeah, nice to meet you," she told the silent man distractedly as she gathered up her textbooks. "Look, I have a really big paper due tomorrow, so I'll just go into my room. Did you put my laptop back in my room?"

Karin screwed her face up as she struggled to remember. Even without an alcohol-clouded brain, she had trouble thinking. Then her face smoothed out as a light bulb clicked on in her head. "Oh, yeah! I put it on your bed!"

"Good. Well, good night, then." With one last look at the still-silent man, she headed towards her bedroom.

However, she was juggling six heavy textbooks. So she hadn't taken three steps when the top one toppled towards the floor.

A blink. And a pale hand was holding the book out to her. She blinked again, then glanced up. Sasuke was standing there, having caught her book. Another blink. Then she realized she was staring. "Oh! Er, thank you, uh…."

"Sasuke," he supplied, his face expressionless.

"Right, Sasuke….um, thank you for catching my book." She gestured to the pile in her hands, to tell him wordlessly to place it on top.

Instead, he stared at the cover of the book with interest. "A medical textbook? Are you a med student?"

"Yes, I'm a med student at the Konoha Medical College. Do you know of it?" she asked when he started slightly at the name.

"Yes, I do…actually, my family makes regular donations to the college…" he murmured.

Her eyes widened. "So, you're…..Uchiha….Sasuke…?" No wonder the name had sounded familiar. He was filthy rich! That being said, what the heck was he doing talking to her, of all people? Right….about to sleep with her roommate, right…

"I'm Uchiha Sasuke, yes." Now he actually sounded amused. Did he expect her to go crazy-nutso-psycho on him or something now that she knew who he was?

Well, she wasn't. No freakin' way. "Well, thank you again, Sasuke. I hope you have a nice day….or night…whichever." She smiled at him, and he placed the book atop her pile. "Good night." Then she turned around and safely made it to her room.

Dumping her burden on her bed, she went back and shut her door, but not before she caught Karin and Sasuke snogging. For some reason, it felt strange to her, to see them kissing. Shaking away her weird feelings, she closed the door, quietly, and set about rearranging her books on her bed so that she could sit on it, surrounded by them, and type on her laptop.

When she heard the first sound, she almost dropped a textbook she was holding, but managed to catch it. Being a virgin, hearing sex sounds was foreign to her, and embarrassed her. Cursing the fact that Karin's bedroom was right beside hers, she pulled her old iPod out of her bag and stuck the little plugs in her ears. Scrolling through her options, she chose one of her favorites and smiled when the music poured straight into her ears.

_My hands are searching for you_

_My arms are outstretched towards you_

_I feel you on my fingertips_

_My tongue dances behind my lips for you_

Unconsciously, she began to sing, low at first, then slightly higher and louder. It was an unconscious thing; she wasn't trying to interrupt the two in the room beside hers.

**XxXxXx-.-.-.-.-xXxXxX**

He was more than a little intoxicated; heck, he hadn't been so drunk in a long time. He could usually hold his liquor.

He was slightly more composed than the woman in bed with him. She was giggling over nothing while she undressed; now, normally he would be helping her get her clothes off, so he could do the nasty and fall asleep or, better yet, leave. But he was distracted by something.

A voice. Singing. One of his favorite songs. Yes, Sasuke Uchiha listened to rock. And Flyleaf was one of his favorite bands. So when he heard one of his favorite songs, by his favorite band, being sung, his attention immediately switched to the wall beside the bed he lay on. "What's on the other side of this wall?" he asked the woman; hell, he'd forgotten her name. Karen? Karrie?

"Oh, Sakura's room," she answered dismissively, struggling to pull her panties down her legs without taking off her skirt.

Then the voice came again:

_I can feel you all around me_

_Thickening the air I'm breathing_

_Holding onto what I'm feeling_

_Savoring this heart that's healing_

She had such a sweet voice; and when he said that, he meant that her tone was flat. But it wasn't so much how she sounded as how she sang the song. With feeling. Like the lead singer of Flyleaf; nowhere near as good, but still…

"I keep telling her not to sing aloud, but she does it anyway!" Karin--that's right, that was her name--said as she slid towards him across the bed, now naked. "How come your clothes are still on?"

He was suddenly not in the mood for sex. So he said, "I'm tired; I have to get up early in the morning."

Her mouth dropped open in surprise. "Wh-whaa--But I thought the only reason you came home with me was--"

"I'm not in the mood." He turned over to face the wall, only to find that Sakura was no longer singing. Maybe she could hear them through the wall.

Karin gave a huff of anger, but didn't pester him. Ten minutes later, her breathing had leveled and she was letting out huge snores. He dealt with this for about five more minutes, then grabbed the pillow beneath his head and slipped out of her bedroom, thinking to sleep on the couch.

Unfortunately for him, it was occupied. No wonder he hadn't heard Sakura anymore; she'd moved back out to the couch, her medical textbooks around her, an old, battered laptop atop her lap, and two tiny ear plugs in her ears, leading to a scratched red iPod lying beside her. And she was still singing the same song.

_Take my hand, I give it to you_

_Now you own me, all I am_

_You said you would never leave me_

_I believe you, I believe!_

He tapped her on the shoulder, and her eyes flew from the computer screen to him. They were a pleasant apple-green, though her light pink hair was strange….

She pulled the plugs from her ears and said, "I'm sorry, I'll shut up! I just, you know, unconsciously start singing. I love this song, and--"

"Me too," he input.

"--huh?" She blinked up at him owlishly in surprise. "Pardon?"

"You were singing 'All Around Me' by Flyleaf, right? I love that song, too. They're actually my favorite band."

She smiled up at him, a dazzling white smile that almost made him want to shield his eyes. "Mine too! Wow, what are the odds?" Then her smile disappeared as she noticed the pillow he carried. "Um, did you want to….sleep on the couch or something?"

"Yeah. Your sister snores….really loud." He shrugged. "But I guess I can deal with it--"

"No, it's quite all right!" For the second time in the last hour, she began to gather up her books and stuff. "I only came out here because I could hear sounds and--" Her cheeks flushed, and she said, "I-I mean--er, since you're sleeping out here, I'll just, er, finish up in my, er, room….G-good night!" Squeaking slightly on the last part, she flew back to her room.

He stared after her for a moment, then shook his head. Just as he was about to lay down on the couch, her bedroom door opened and she came back out, carrying a fluffy pink blanket. "Here, it gets pretty cold this time of year….Sorry about the color."

"That's fine." He took the offending wad of pink marshmallow and even gave her a tiny, tiny, teeny-weeny smile. "Thank you."

"No problem!" And with that, she walked back to her room.

He couldn't stop himself from watching her, admiring the curve of her derrière in the short black shorts she wore…and her pink tank-top had looked good on her, too, hugging her small breasts. Wait, what was he thinking?! He'd always considered himself a breast man, and hers were small. But perfectly shaped…just the right size to cup his hand over….

Pulling his gaze from her swaying rear, he mentally scowled at himself. Stupid horny lecherous thoughts….he didn't even know how old she was!

'She's old enough to be in med school,' he reminded himself. Well, still….

He snuggled up into the cotton candy confection and mused on how his friends would laugh if they could see him now; refusing sex with a sexy woman, fantasizing about her less-attractive little sister, and using a pink blanket. They'd laugh like the hyenas they were…

Surprisingly, he fell asleep relatively quickly, with no dreams….

**XxXxXx-.-.-.-.-xXxXxX**

When she awoke, it was to her alarm going off. Groaning, she switched it off, then sat up. Usually she was a morning person, but after getting only three hours of sleep after staying up all night working on her paper, she was too tired to be cheerful.

Still, she got up and took a much-needed shower, then got dressed in a pair of charcoal-gray slacks and a white blouse, pulled her hair into a low ponytail with a butterfly clasp her friend Hinata had given her for her last birthday, and slid her feet into black flats.

She opened her door, bag bulging with books and her laptop on her shoulder, and walked into the living room. Sasuke wasn't on the couch anymore; he must have been in the shower, because the water was running, and she could still hear Karin's snores over the sound. Shaking her head, she went into the small galley kitchen and grabbed a blueberry muffin from the pantry.

She had just finished it and was unwrapping her second when the bathroom door opened and Sasuke emerged, hair still slightly damp, but thankfully dressed in his clothes from last night. He managed to make the wrinkled and rumpled clothes look good. "'Morning. Muffin?" She held out the freshly unwrapped muffin as an offering.

"No thanks." He checked the expensive-looking watch on his wrist. "I was supposed to be at work half an hour ago."

"Oh. Will you get in trouble?"

"No. I'm my own boss."

Her lips twitched. "Oh, that's good. If I was even thirty _seconds_ late, my boss would kill me. Both of them."

"You have two jobs?" he asked absently while sliding his dirty socks back on his feet.

Tearing her eyes away from the sight of his foot, which was surprisingly very sexy, being a foot, she answered, "Yeah. I've got a scholarship, but I needed to help pay for this place, and even with a roommate, I needed two jobs."

"I can't imagine having two jobs. One is enough for me," he murmured, now pulling on his shiny black dress shoes.

"They're both part-time, what with me being in school and all. Still, it's very tiring." Some of her usual energy returning due to the second muffin she was chomping, she bounced on her heels. "Well, I've got to get to class. And you've got to get to work. Wanna share an elevator?"

"Are there any other elevators?" he asked, grabbing his wallet from the kitchen table and following her as she left the apartment.

"Nope! Just the one!" she chirped back, practically skipping down the hall. Those must be some damn ass good muffins.

"Hn." Resorting back to his normal form of conversation, he wondered why he was talking so much around her. Usually he was silent and stoic. There must be something about her buoyancy that brought out his inner….talker.

They arrived in front of the elevator, and she pressed the button. And they waited. And waited. In silence. "Dang thing!" She kicked the doors; and they magically opened. She blinked, then grinned. "I am so awesome!"

"Hn." He followed her into the elevator, and she pressed the button for the ground floor.

The ride was arduous. And longer than it should be. She was standing a little too close; why was she almost pressed up against him when there was plenty of space _outside_ his personal bubble for her to stand?

Then the elevator inexplicably lurched, and she fell against him; he twisted to catch her, but there was another lurch, and he fell backwards, bringing her crashing to the floor with him.

Lying on top of him.

Thigh against thigh.

Chest against chest.

Lips against lips.

Wow.

**Well, THAT was arduous! Ha ha, j/k. I love it. Reviews if you like. I will add more chapters anyways, regardless of reviews.**

**Still, review. For me? You see that review button? It's so lonely….TOUCH IT!**

**…and that was in no way sexual….**


	2. THE Red Folder

**Okay, explanation time. I DON'T THINK KARIN IS BETTER-LOOKING THAN SAKURA! In my opinion, Sakura is so much better-looking it's laughable…and that was in no way me being gay. Just stating my opinion. Sasuke thought that, not me. Blame Sasuke. Not me. Him. Hot guy with chicken-butt hair. Me. Ugly girl behind computer. BIG difference.**

**So, that's cleared up. Phew. Anyways, enjoy chapter two. How will Sakura react to this unexpected kiss? How will Sasuke react to this unexpected kiss?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Happy? -sobs and eats chocolate- I'm better now…but there's still a hole there.**

_Recap:_

_Then the elevator inexplicably lurched, and she fell against him; he twisted to catch her, but there was another lurch, and he fell backwards, bringing her crashing to the floor with him._

_Lying on top of him._

_Thigh against thigh._

_Chest against chest._

_Lips against lips._

_Wow._

Sakura was in complete shock, frozen in place.

This wasn't her first kiss; she'd had a few boyfriends in high school, and one or two since. But she'd never felt that spark before, that jolt of electrical feeling, that burning sensation where her skin touched his.

And it scared the crap out of her.

She scrambled off of him, wincing when she came into contact with any other part of him. Grabbing her bag from the floor where it had fallen when the elevator lurched, she flushed. He was still lying there, in shock, apparently.

When the doors opened, she squeaked, "Sorry!" and ran out of the elevator, through the front lobby, and out the front doors. She ran all the way to the bus stop, two blocks away. Panting, she rested her hands on her knees and struggled to breathe properly; unfortunately, the kiss had taken her breath away and hadn't given it back.

"Are you alright, dearie?" An elderly woman asked her, peering at her in concern.

Sakura managed a pained smile and said, "Yes, I'm fine, thank you…just ran a little bit too much, that's all."

The woman smiled and turned back to dig around in her purse. As she fought to catch her breath, Sakura touched her fingers to her lips and flushed again as she thought of the unexpected kiss.

It had only lasted seconds, but it had been one of the best kisses she'd ever had. Well, it wasn't very masterful; after all, it was an accident. But the awareness and zing of desire had been unlike anything she'd ever encountered before.

She straightened and scowled at herself. 'Idiot!' she mentally chastised herself. 'You're not some gushy girly-girl that falls all over guys! You're strong, independent--so what are you doing dreaming about this guy?!'

Besides, he'd only been in that elevator with her because he'd gone home with her roommate last night to have quickie sex. Then again, he'd slept on the couch last night….had they even HAD sex? He hadn't acted like it, not that she knew what a guy who'd just had sex looked like, her being a virgin and all.

The city bus pulled up, and when the doors opened, she climbed the steps, absently digging into her pocket for change and depositing it into the coin slot at the front, then moving to take a seat in the middle, still contemplating this sudden change in her life.

She wasn't too deep in thought to notice how the guy in the seat in front of her was busily rolling a blunt, though. She scowled at him and her train of thought switched entirely over to drugs. How could people do that stuff? She'd been around the stuff often enough; in fact, her neighbors in the apartment building did them. She'd called the cops on them countless times, and complained to the manager. But they always seemed to get away with it, somehow. **(A/N: Sorry, had to put that in there… just say no to drugs! :)**

While she fumed over the stupidity of the world, the bus took her from stop to stop, until it stopped right in front of Konoha Medical College. She sighed angrily and stalked towards the front of the bus, but not without leveling a hard glare at the weed guy. He seemed supremely unconcerned.

She got off the bus and sighed, hitching her bag higher up on her shoulder.

"Good morning, Sakura!"

Sakura turned and smiled absently at the woman as she walked up to her. "Good morning, Ms. Shizune."

Shizune grinned at her. "I hope you did your paper. Ms. Tsunade is in a bad mood today."

Sakura groaned as she thought of her professor. The woman was a medical genius, but annoying as heck. She was an alcoholic, had a nasty temper, and was very, very, very strict. "Don't tell me--it was Mr. Jiraiya, right?"

With a nod, Shizune replied, "Yes, yes it was. He just doesn't know when to quit."

"Well, I did the paper, and it is the epitome of greatness, if I do say so myself!" Regaining some of her cheerfulness, Sakura grinned. "Well, I've got to get to class; I'll see you later, Ms. Shizune!"

Shizune waved after her as she ran off--well, walked off. She was still too tired to run. Wow, she was really out of shape…which meant another visit to the gym. Well, Tenten and Lee would be happy…they always liked to have someone to work out with…Neji might even be there. Which meant that his cousin Hinata, who happened to be a good friend of hers, might be there, which meant that Naruto might be there, and Kiba and maybe even--

Oh, man. She hoped not. Too many people…yelling….insults…green jumpsuit…Her eye twitched.

She headed to her class, and even became a little excited along the way. Professor Tsunade was going to be so proud of her paper! She'd done a wonderful job on it, even to the woman's high standards. So, with an extra spring to her step, most likely caused by those awesome muffins, she ducked into her classroom.

It was huge, of course; to seat a hundred plus students, it had to be pretty big. She took her seat, basically ignoring her classmates. She didn't really have any friends in here. All of her friends were either in another college, or slacking off, like Naruto.

She sat her bag on the table before her and went through it, rearranging all her books and notes where they'd shifted around. She lifted the folder that held her paper and smiled to herself.

Of course, Professor Tsunade happened to walk in at that moment, her cheeks slightly flushed. She wasn't completely drunk at this time in the morning; only halfway there. The class wasn't surprised at this, and immediately quieted down; her wrath was feared by all.

"Alright, I expect you've all done your papers; I shall give you a few moments to finish them up, then I'll collect them." Her hiccup informed the class all that the few moments wasn't for them; she just wanted to sober up some before teaching.

Sakura picked up her folder and opened it…and her smile disappeared. There were a bunch of older papers, but not the one she'd typed and printed last night. Closing it, she frowned at the cover. It was red like her other folder, but this one had the words Semester One written at the top. It was the second semester.

Fighting a growing sense of panic, she lifted her bag again and rifled through it, frantically searching for the right red folder. There was a green one, and two blacks ones, but no red.

"No, no, no, no, no!" she chanted over and over to herself as her heart thumped painfully. She ripped through all the folders, praying she'd mistakenly put it in another folder. No such luck. She'd left her folder at home.

While she sat there wondering what she was going to do, the classroom door opened. She didn't pay much attention to the sound, but when she heard her name, she froze.

"Excuse me, Professor, but may I borrow Sakura Haruno for a moment?"

Her head snapped up at the smooth voice. And there stood Sasuke, his gaze on her professor.

Tsunade pursed her lips in thought, then hiccupped again. After a few more seconds of staring, she acquiesced. "Alright. But only for five minutes. Class will start soon."

"Thank you," he told her, then his eyes turned to Sakura.

Cheeks burning as every eye in the room turned to her, she considered stubbornly refusing to move. But that would be childish, and something so unlike her. So, with a sigh of trepidation, she stood and made her way down the long row, mumbling apologies when she bumped into anyone.

After seemingly forever, she made it, then walked down to the front of the classroom, coming to a stop before Sasuke. He nodded, then turned and led the way out of the room. She followed, albeit reluctantly, still embarrassed.

As soon as the door shut behind them, she burst out, "What is the matter with you?! You can't just come into my classroom like that, you--"

"Here. You dropped this. In the elevator." He held up a red folder. THE red folder.

With a delighted gasp, she reached for it, but he pulled it out of her reach. Frowning, she crossed her arms in front of her chest and gave him the Look. "Sasuke, give me my folder! That has my paper in it, and it's really important!"

"You can have it back. But-" He lifted the folder higher when she grabbed for it again. "But only if you agree to go to dinner with me tonight."

That was NOT expected. She gaped at him in shock. "M-m-me? Why me?! Go have dinner with someone else! Like Karin!" She made another swipe.

And missed. "I want YOU to go to dinner with me. Not Karin. Is that a yes or a no?" he questioned with a slight smile on his face.

"Sssaaasssuuukkkeee!" she whined, then growled in frustration. "You're very annoying, you know that?!"

"Yes," he answered, the corner of his mouth twitching upwards. "Is that a yes or a no?"

Sakura sighed, then gave the folder a longing look. With another growl, she said, "Fine! I'll go out with you! But--" She fixed him with a hard glower. "I'm not sleeping with you!"

He blinked. "Why not?"

"Because I'm not a whore!" she shouted, then clamped a hand over her mouth when she realized what she'd said.

He shook his head and gave her an amused smirk. "Calm down, Saku! I'm not going to rape you. If we do anything, then it's only something you want."

She grabbed the folder and whacked him in the head with it. "You egotistical jerk! Not every woman wants to roll in the hay with you, ya know! You're not so irresistible that women fall over their clothes stripping them off to get into bed with you, ya know! You're not the only stallion in the barn, ya know! You--"

"Okay, okay, I get it!" He held up his hands defensively and shook his head again. "Although I like that you compared me to a stallion."

Sakura gave an agitated growl and tried to stalk past him back into the classroom, but he grabbed her arm as she passed him and, ever-so-_gently, _pressed her against the wall. "Now, now, don't I get a goodbye kiss? I _did _return your folder to you."

"Are you crazy?! I'm not kissing you!" She shrank back as he got closer.

"C'mon, Saku….just a little kiss?" he whispered, then leaned down very suddenly. She jerked her head to the side, and his lips came into contact with her neck.

She caught her breath at the sudden feeling of his lips against her bare skin, and had to bite back a moan when they moved upwards toward her ear. "Just one little, teeny-weeny, tiny kiss? I'm still remembering the kiss in the elevator earlier…so brief, but so good. You felt it too, didn't you, Saku? That electricity between us? That's our chemistry…and we've got a hell of a lot of it. Don't you want that again, Saku?" His low, sexy voice sent shivers of awareness down her whole body, and liquid heat pooled low in her mid-section.

When he caught her earlobe between his teeth, she sucked in a startled breath, and let out an eep when his tongue licked the bottom half. Her eyes started to drift down, then flew open wide. What was she doing?! Letting him do this to her in the hallway of her college, right outside her classroom door?! What if someone saw them?! How would that reflect on her, being seen with Sasuke Uchiha, necking?!

The thought was enough to clear her befuddled mind, and she thought quickly. So he wanted a kiss, did he?! With deliberate swiftness, she grasped him by the hair and pulled him away from her ear, then crushed his lips with hers.

His onyx eyes widened at her bold move, and her own were on him, not even closing into the kiss. They stared each other in the eyes as the kiss deepened. And, just when he was about to take control of it, she broke it off, leaning back against the wall, panting for breath.

Tightening her grip on the folder, she glared at him. "When and where?"

He blinked. "Pardon?"

"Tonight, you idiot. I agreed to have dinner with you. When and where?"

Sasuke took a deep breath to steady his thudding heartbeat and calm his erratic pulse, and thought for a moment. "Uh, how about that new bar, Cascara, over on 52nd?"

"A bar?" Her eyebrow raised, then she nodded. "Whatever you want. I'll meet you there."

"I could come pick you up--"

She laughed. "What, and let Karin catch us? No way! She'd kill both of us!"

He smirked again. "Alright. Say, at about…eight o'clock?"

"Right. Okay. See you then." Without a backwards glance, she ducked back into the classroom.

And even though she got a lecture from Professor Tsunade, she was inwardly grinning the whole time; who woulda thought that an elevator could lead to a dinner date?

**XxXxXx-.-.-.-.-xXxXxX**

Sasuke walked back outside of the college and towards his car, not really paying attention to where he was going. He'd done what he'd gone there to do; return Sakura's folder, get her to go to dinner with him, and steal another kiss--so why did it feel like he'd come out on the losing end? And why did she have the ability to drive him absolutely crazy?

**There! Read it and weep….I tried to add a little more spice and Boom Chika Wowow! …or however you spell it. Anyways, review, please. Hey, at least it's not really a cliffy this time! Thank your gods for small favors, ne?**


	3. A Date!

**Sorry this took so long. I've been kinda busy, being sick and all…..anyways, chapter 3 of The Elevator. Small case of writer's block, y'all…nothing to worry about…**

**Disclaimer: I own not the fair Naruto!**

Sakura, of course, got an awesome grade on her paper. After all, it was the epitome of awesomeness--what was not to like? And she had, of course, been teased relentlessly over her little 'rendezvous' with Sasuke, as one of her more spiteful classmates put it. Hm, the poor girl was just jealous.

When the class was over, Sakura got up happily from her seat and filed out of the room solemnly with the rest of her fellow students. She wasn't paying much attention to where she was going, thinking of what she should eat for lunch….so, of course, she didn't see the foot sticking out in her path.

Tripping head-first over the foot, she went down like a sack of potatoes. "H-hey!" she yelped, turning over and staring at the foot. It was encased in a shiny light blue boot. Her eyes traveling upwards, she took in the dark Apple Bottom jeans(**A/N: Saw a girl at my school wearing these today, and they looked so cool…)**, the hint of midriff exposed by the short light blue halter top, up until she got to the pretty face laughing down at her. "Ino!" she growled at her.

Ino laughed and flipped her long white-blonde ponytail over her shoulder. "Sorry, I couldn't resist!" she said cheerfully. "Come on, I came to take you to lunch."

Sakura instantly brightened at the thought of food and took the hand Ino extended to her. "Great! Where we going?"

As they exited the classroom, arguing about where to eat, Ino noticed all the stares they were receiving. "Eh Forehead, why are all your geeky friends staring at us?" she asked.

A muscle in Sakura's (slightly over-large) forehead ticked in annoyance at the nickname, but it was a friend thing. They'd done it since they were kids. "First of all, they're not all geeky. Secondly, they're not all my friends. And third….I kinda have a date tonight."

She wasn't prepared for her blonde friend to scream. So when she did, she almost tripped and fell again. As she righted herself, Ino was still screaming the same scream, so long and loud that everyone who wasn't already staring at them began to immediately, and a few professors stuck their heads out of their classrooms. Sakura grabbed Ino's arm and dashed from the college, not wanting to get into trouble.

Once they were outside the building, she slapped her friend repeatedly across the face. "Snap out of it!" she yelled.

Ino finally quieted, but her light blue eyes were wide with shock, and she stammered, "Y-y-y-you have a d-d-d-ate?! Oh my God! I can't believe it! Oh, you have to let me help you get ready! What time?! Oh, should we start getting ready now?! Where is he taking you? Who is he?! Wait, it is a he, right?"

"Of course!" Sakura ground out, wishing she'd never mentioned it to her. Ino was her best friend, but she was also the girliest girly-girl she'd ever met. And now she had to explain everything to her.

They got into Ino's blue car and she drove them to their favorite diner, which they each happened to have part-time jobs at. As they were pulling up, Sakura was just finishing her story. Ino turned off the engine and sat there, her eyes on her friend. "Okay, so let me get this straight," she said slowly. "You're going on a date tonight with the guy Karin had sex with last night?"

"No!" Sakura shook her head and sighed. "I'm pretty sure they didn't have sex. I mean, he slept on the couch last night. They weren't in there for more than five minutes when he came out. I mean, they couldn't have!"

"Oh, don't be so naïve, sweetie! That's long enough for two people to screw!"

Sakura winced and said, "Would you stop saying things like that? It's so crude!"

"And you're a prude!" Ino pocketed her keys and opened her car door. "Come on, and lock the door behind you. Lots of nuts in this neighborhood."

Sakura did as she was told, then jogged slowly to catch up to the blonde. "I am not a prude!" she protested as they entered Diane's Diner. (catchy, huh?)

"Oh yes you are, hun!" A woman with straight black hair and bright brown eyes greeted them, her hands on her hips beneath the light pink uniform she wore. "What're you girls doing here?"

Ino gave her a big smile. "Hey, Belle! You working tonight?"

Belle shook her head and flicked her hand over to the schedule. "Nope. Guess one of you girls are."

"Oh crap!" Sakura slapped herself in the forehead as she remembered. "I'm supposed to work tonight! Crap, what'll Sasuke think?!"

"Sasuke?" Belle's ears twitched at the name. "Who's that?"

Ino put her arm around Sakura's shoulders and replied, "Sakura's date for tonight!"

Belle opened her mouth and let out a squeal. "Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God! Are you for cereal?!"

"With milk," Sakura replied dryly. "Why is it so hard for you guys to imagine me going on a date?"

"Well, because you never date!" they shouted at the same time.

"Whatever. Can we just eat now?" Sakura grumbled. "I need more muffins."

"You eat any more muffins and you won't be able to see your toes," Belle remarked as they settled on stools at the counter.

"I'm not fat!" Sakura protested, then sighed. "I need to go to the gym."

"We'll go after we eat, sweetie," Ino assured her, then ordered them each a salad. Sakura's eye twitched once the tiny bowl of veggies was brought to her, but sighed and poured a generous amount of Italian dressing on it.

Belle leaned against the counter and watched them pick at their rabbit food, her brow furrowed as she thought. After several moments, she said, "Sasuke….that sounds familiar….Where have I heard that name before?"

Sakura shrugged. "I dunno. You might know him or something."

"Now that you mention it, the name sounds familiar to me too," Ino input, biting her lip in concentration as she too thought. It looked dangerous.

She was trying to become as small as possible. She wasn't actually sure why she didn't want them to know who Sasuke really was. Maybe it was because she didn't want to be known as having gone out with Konoha's biggest playboy since the days of….well, since ever. Sakura just laughed nervously and hurriedly changed the subject. "So, shoes, huh? Those are cool!"

That subject took them along through the forcing down of the salad and the downing of the lukewarm water, and Ino was still gabbing about them as they left the diner. "I got these awesome pumps yesterday, they're blue and have little jewels in the--"

"Ino, I need a favor!" Sakura rushed before her friend and clasped her hands before her as that pleading look that friends gets when they want something came over her face. "Please please please cover my shift tonight!"

Ino frowned at being cut off in her shoes tirade and crossed her arms over her chest as she glared. "Why should I? I covered for you last night so you could do that stupid report--I need free time too, ya know!"

"Yes, I know, but I can't just cancel on Sasuke! What will he think?!" Sakura pleaded, her eyes watering dramatically. "Please oh please oh please!! I'll do anything, ANYTHING!"

Ino got that sly look in her eyes as she said, "Anything?"

Knowing she was signing a deal with the devil herself, Sakura mustered up her courage and squeaked, "Yes!"

The blonde nodded with a satisfied smile. "Alright. I'll think about what to make you do--I mean, what to have you do for me!" She covered up her slip with an even wider smile, but it shined with the light of evil. "First, I promised you we'd go to the gym. So…let us go!"

**XxXxXx-.-.-.-.-xXxXxX**

"Good morning, Mr. Uchiha!"

Sasuke grimaced as his new secretary called out, standing clumsily in her chair to wave to him frantically. He really needed to fire her. Usually he slept with his secretary and gave her the boot the next day, but he hadn't had a chance to sleep with this one yet. And even though he was still….uh…excited from earlier, he only entertained the idea of a quickie in his office for a moment before dismissing it. He wouldn't be satisfied with the girl. What was her name again? Laura….? Lauren…?

Oh, right. Her name tag said Angela. Wow, he was really off… With a grimace, he said, "Good morning, Angela. Anything new?"

She followed him as he walked to his office, eyeing his clothes. "Um, should I bring you your extra suit, sir?" she asked.

"What? Yes, yes, go on," he mumbled distractedly, waving her off.

She was gone for a moment, then zipped back in, several garments hanging over her arm. She handed them to him without a word, then told him, "You have a meeting in thirty minutes, sir. I placed the documents you requested on your desk, and I thought it would be good for you to study them beforehand, since you left early last night. I typed up the new employee acceptance letters and sent them out with the mail this morning. That woman in accounting was fired like you requested, and, most importantly…." She gestured to the Styrofoam cup on his desk, hot steam rising through the slit and continued, "I made sure that your coffee was piping hot, no sugar or cream added."

He was impressed despite himself. Not only was Angela pretty, she was the best secretary he'd ever had. Maybe he'd keep this one and not sleep with her… He almost laughed aloud at the preposterous thought. "Thank you, Angela. Go back to what you were doing, I'll change and get started on the documents," he told her.

The girl looked disappointed, but let loose with a barely audible sigh and left his office, closing the door behind her. He quickly changed into the clean suit and settled at his desk, lifting the folder that held the documents he should be studying for the meeting. But every time he tried to open it and concentrate his mind on business, it swayed to a certain pink-haired girl. The way she looked, the way she felt, the way she tasted--

He shook his head abruptly to dispel the memory and stared hard at the top paper. **_The merger of Uchiha Corp. and the illustrious Hyuga Corp. would bring even more wealth and power to the two corporations than--_**

He tossed the paper down in frustration as a sudden image of Sakura as she'd so boldly kissed him surfaced in the front most part of his mind. "God damnit!" he cursed aloud.

What the hell?! Was she a witch or something?!

**XxXxXx-.-.-.-.-xXxXxX**

Sakura was right. The gym was absolute chaos. When she and Ino entered, they had to jump to the side to avoid Lee as he flew past and hit the front door head-on, his face grotesquely smooshed to the glass. He slid down with a squeak and left a trail of saliva. "Ew, gross!" Ino squealed in disgust.

"Lee, you moron! You didn't even try to block me, ya just let down your guard, just like that!" A blonde boy with dark blue eyes and whisker-like marks on either cheek ran up to the half-unconscious boy and yelled, "A good fighter never lets down his guard!"

"But Naruto, I was just coming out of the bathroom! I was still drying my hands!" Lee protested as he picked himself up off the ground.

"Naruto, leave Lee alone, you idiot!" Sakura shouted, punching the blonde in the head from the side before he had time to blink.

He fell to the ground, his legs twitching as a lump the size of an apple formed on his head. "H-hey…Sakura…" he muttered.

"Oh gosh, Naruto!" A pretty girl with long dark blue hair ran up to the fallen boy and stood above him, wringing her hands nervously. "Sakura, wh-what did you do to h-him?!"

"Don't worry, I just punched him in the side of the head, causing a large bump to form on the side of his head and a mild concussion. He'll be fine!" Sakura told her brightly, then gave her a huge hug. "How are you, Hinata? I haven't seen you in forever!"

Hinata's pure-white eyes lit up as she said, "Oh, I'm great! I've been very busy, helping Father and Hanabi with this merger thing. Brother is even getting caught up in it!"

When she said Brother, she meant her cousin Neji. They'd grown up together like siblings since Neji's father had died when he was four and she was three, so she thought of him as a big brother. Neji in truth loved to play the role of big brother; he'd successfully scared away and/or beaten up any guy that looked at Hinata twice. He knew of his cousin's megawatt crush on Naruto, and glared at and/or berated the blonde every chance he got. Poor Naruto had no clue of said crush and thought that the elder Hyuga just hated him.

With a groan, Naruto slowly sat up, rubbing his lump and wincing. "Sakura, why do you always have to be so violent with me?! Me, your bestest friend in the whole wide world!"

Sakura rolled her eyes and said, "Bestest isn't even a word, you twit. And you need to stop being a moron and attacking people! You can't afford to go back to jail!"

He crossed his legs and sat Indian-style on the floor in a pout. "Hey, that wasn't any big deal! I just had a small lapse in judgment!"

"Naruto, you blew up a Denny's toilet," Lee pointed out to him.

"I was framed!!" Naruto yelled, leaping up and bumping into Hinata. She gave a squeak of surprise and clutched the blonde's sleeve to keep from falling. "Oops. Heheh, sorry, Hinata!" he apologized.

Ino sighed at the romance in the air as Hinata flushed a bright pink, but her hand didn't unfist from his sleeve. Heck, she would probably faint if she did. Naruto scratched the back of his head nervously as the girl steadily got redder, then she finally keeled over in a dead faint.

"Eh?! Hinata, what's wrong?! Should we take her to the hospital?!" Naruto shouted, his tone panicky.

"Calm down. She'll be fine, she just fainted!" Sakura shook her head. "Honestly, I could have my own private practice just taking care of you people and your crazy injuries!"

Lee sighed, then smiled at Sakura. "And how are you today, my cherry blossom?!"

Sakura grinned at the nickname and said, "I'm great, Lee. Fantastic, even!"

Naruto cocked his head to the side and eyed her suspiciously. "Why're you in such a good mood?"

Before she could reply, Ino crowed, "Because she's got a DATE tonight!"

The whole gym gasped, and heads swiveled in their direction. Her friends were all staring at her with wide eyes and dropped jaws. Naruto, who looked the most shocked of them all, whispered, "A-are you sure, Sakura? I mean, are you positive?"

"This isn't cancer, Naruto!!" Sakura growled. "Why is it so hard for you people to imagine me going on a date?!"

"Because you're a huge feminist and hate dating!!" he yelled back, flapping his arms to over-insinuate his words. "When's the last time you were on a date?!"

"Well, it was….." Sakura frowned as she struggled to recall. "Well, there was the time…." They were all looking at her expectantly. "Um….high school?"

They hung their heads. "So what? I'm going on a date tonight, and Sasuke and I are going to have a good time!" she yelled, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Y-y-you're dating S-s-Sasuke U-Uchiha?!" a quiet voice asked in alarm.

Everyone turned to look at Hinata, who had awoken at all the yelling and was staring at Sakura with wide eyes. "Um…yeah, I am, I guess…." Sakura rubbed the back of her neck and said, "Why?"

Hinata stood gracefully, her eyes still on Sakura, and said, "You can't go out with him! You can't!"

**Well, I'll end it there today. I'm updating, be happy….I'm about to leave for school, so I'm hurrying this up. If you have any questions, review please! pocket, thank you for your reviews. I'm glad you like Sasuke. I tried to give him some more screentime in this one. I don't know when I'll be able to update this again. I really need to update Life's Better With An Uchiha On Top, but I haven't had any inspiration. -sighs-**


	4. What's Wrong With Sasuke?

**I know, I know. It's been….forever. Sorry. But I've been busy…. And, if you've read my author's note on my last chapter of Life's Better With An Uchiha On Top, then you'll know that my father died in late December, so I haven't wanted to really do anything creative. I hope you guys understand, and I really, really hope that you guys don't get mad. **

**I'm too lazy to go back and look, but my last reviewer told me that my characters are IC. I was shocked, to say the least. I wasn't even thinking about that. Of course, Sasuke's a little more touchy-feely than usual, but thanks for telling me. It makes my feet feel all warm and fuzzy. No, wait, that's my heater and my cat. Well, you know…. Thank you. **

**And if anyone asked me any questions, then I'm sorry, but could you ask again? I don't want to have to go back and forth. Sorry.**

**Alright….**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any blonde affiliates of said ninja.**

* * *

"_Y-y-you're dating S-s-Sasuke U-Uchiha?!" a quiet voice asked in alarm._

_Everyone turned to look at Hinata, who had awoken at all the yelling and was staring at Sakura with wide eyes. "Um…yeah, I am, I guess…." Sakura rubbed the back of her neck and said, "Why?"_

_Hinata stood gracefully, her eyes still on Sakura, and said, "You can't go out with him! You can't!"_

There was a weighted silence in the gym as everyone stared at Hinata in shock. Naruto's gaze went back and forth between the girls so fast that his neck snapped. Sakura gave him a pointed look, then her eyes swiveled back to Hinata and she said, "What are you talking about? What's wrong with him?"

Hinata's eyes got wider and wider as she said, "H-he's S-Sasuke!"

Before Sakura could reply, Naruto snapped his fingers. "I got it! I know where I know that name from!"

"You know Sasuke?" Sakura asked in surprise. "How?"

He beamed. "Oh yeah, we've been friends since we were twelve!"

"….and you just thought of this suddenly?" Ino asked, then added, at the blonde's nod, "Idiot."

"Wait, you're dating Sasuke Uchiha?!" Neji said.

Sakura threw her hands up in the air and said, "Yes, yes, I'm dating Sasuke Uchiha, kind of! Why is this such a big deal?!"

"Well, right now, Hyuga Corp. is planning a merger with Uchiha Corp., of which Sasuke is CEO," Neji explained. "Uncle, Hinata, and I have been meeting regularly with him and his brother."

"Brother?" Sakura's ears twitched. "He has a brother?"

"Exactly how long have you known Sasuke?" Hinata asked, again not stammering.

The pink-haired girl's cheeks flushed slightly and she felt the unnerving urge to press her index fingers together as she muttered, "Um….since last night…"

Hinata's eyes were wide and wild as she said, "Sakura, you absolutely CANNOT date him! He's a player, and a bad person, and he's-he's-he's SASUKE!!!!!"

"I'm aware of who he is, Hinata!" Sakura growled, then immediately regretted it when her friend winced. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I'm sorry, Hinata, but--I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself! I know you're just trying to help, but you can't coddle me the way Neji does to you!"

"I don't coddle her…" Neji muttered beneath his breath.

Sakura sighed. "Neji, you won't let Naruto even get close to her."

Naruto's brow wrinkled. "Yeah, I don't get that. Is it because I'm sick? I would never give Hinata the flu, Neji!!!!!!!!!!!"

"The flu-? Never mind," Sakura said, wiping her brow off. "Geez, it's like a sauna in here! What do you people do in here all day, sweat?!"

"That's the general idea of a gym, Sakura," Ino told her. "Isn't that why you're here, too? To sweat off all those muffins?"

Sakura's eye twitched. "H-how do you know about my muffins?! Karin told you, didn't she?! Ooh, I'm gonna kill her!"

"No, you let it slip last week at Naruto's party. Oh, and you also told me about a really embarrassing underwear incident in the ninth grade--" Sakura hurriedly slapped her hand over Ino's mouth and laughed nervously. "Heheheh…Ino, repeat that story and I will put you in the morgue!"

Naruto's expression was confused. "Well, that doesn't sound so bad, Sakura. I mean, sure you gotta smell all those dead bodies, but you can always just plug your nose or something!"

"Right…. And on that note of idiocy, I think I'll leave you people to your argument and work out!" Sakura said, then paused. "Uh, does anyone have any workout clothes I can borrow?"

Like an angel, a girl with a brown bun on either side of her head came out of a door with the heading **OFFICE** with some clothes thrown over her arm. "Hey guys," she said. "I couldn't help but overhear your SHOUTING, so I'm here to tell you all that if you keep on yelling like this, then I will kill you all and cut you up and stuff you down a garbage disposal. Oh, and I've got some stuff for you to wear, Sakura."

"Thank you, Tenten!" Sakura told her, grinning as everyone immediately shut up. "I can always trust you to understand my need to work out!"

"Oh, I don't, really," Tenten replied, handing the clothes over. "As you were bouncing around out here, I noticed you were jiggling again and figured you needed to get into shape really fast."

"Burn!" Naruto shouted, howling with laughter as his pink-haired friend's grin faded faster than a light bulb going out.

"Oh, that is soooo mean, Tenten!" Ino said. "I have to say, I didn't think you had it in you."

Sakura finally allowed a crooked smile to appear on her face as she said, "Oh, gee, thanks, Tenten, I really needed that blow to my self-esteem, thanks a lot!"

Tenten rolled her eyes. "Okay, sorry, that was a little cruel. But seriously, you only come here when you're bored or when you're feeling fat. Admit it."

"So what makes you think I'm not bored? I don't jiggle!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Sure you don't," Tenten murmured, then brightened. "Well, I've got a date with the hottest guy in town, so I'll just leave you all to your non-jiggling!"

From where he was ignoring Naruto's rambling, Neji did a double take at her words. "Wait, where are you going?" he questioned, a frown marring his pale face. "Who are you going out with?"

She put a hand on her hip and glared at him. "That, Neji, is NONE of your business, so I'll thank you to shut up!" As she sashayed out the door, Neji's eye began to twitch horribly.

Ino laughed. "Nice going, Casanova. If you keep interrogating her like that, she'll never figure out that you have a megawatt crush on her and you'll never hook up with her!"

Lee gasped dramatically and pointed his finger at Neji, shouting, "Neji, you are in the love with Tenten, a lovely friend of ours?! How horrifyingly awful!"

"Why are you talking like that--Never mind, just shut the hell up and leave me alone!" Neji snapped at his long-time friend, then stomped off towards the office that Tenten had exited just minutes earlier. Then he turned on his heel and yelled, "And I don't like her!" Slam.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, we believe you, Neji! Not."

"I heard that!" Neji's voice retaliated from inside the office. "Get the hell out of my gym!"

"No!" Lee yelled, falling at Sakura's feet and clutching onto her leg. "Do not leave, Sakura! My love for you is like a cataclysmic orb of energy that threatens to burst through my chest!!!"

"Lee--! Get the hell off of me!" she yelled, shaking her leg, trying to dislodge him like an overenthusiastic puppy. "I don't want your love!!!!!!!!!!!"

He suddenly flew off, hitting the opposite wall with a thud. "Oh Sakura, you are so mean to me and my youthfulness!" Lee sobbed. "Mr. Gai was wrong. You'll never see me as a loveable person, even with my shiny bowl-cut hair that drives women crazy!"

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Uh, yeah, maybe mentally insane, but….. Never mind. I'm sorry, Lee. I don't want to be mean, but… I'm kinda sorta dating Sasuke now. I'm really, really sorry." With a sigh, she continued, "Anyways, I'm gonna go change and then work off some calories. See you guys later. Naruto, don't blow up any more toilets."

As she walked away, the enraged blonde shouted, "I WAS FRAMED!!!!!!!!!!"

Hinata smiled at him kindly. "I-I have to go, N-Naruto, but I'll see you l-later."

"Hold on, Hinata, I'll go with you!" Neji told her, running out of the office. "I forgot all about that meeting today. Naruto, don't touch her."

Naruto pouted as the cousins left the gym, Hinata still smiling at him and Neji giving him a dirty look. It was about five minutes before he realized….. "Hey! Where did everybody go?! Hello…? Anybody…?"

**XxXxXx-.-.-.-.-xXxXxX**

A lot of people had seen Sasuke Uchiha angry, mad, slightly annoyed. But hardly anyone had seen him furious. He generally reigned his temper in around other people, taking it out only on his brother Itachi or his friend Naruto. At the present moment in time, he was livid. He'd been in a board meeting all morning, mainly because Hiashi Hyuga refused to start the meeting without his daughter and nephew. They finally showed up, two hours late, saying they'd forgotten. Then, all throughout the meeting, the daughter, whose name he couldn't recalled, kept sending him veiled glares and sniffing whenever her opinion was asked of anything, which wasn't often. The nephew, Neji, was slightly better, but he still seemed annoyed, and three hours into the meeting, they'd gotten nothing accomplished and had only succeeded in becoming sick of the others' voices. Sasuke announced the end of the meeting in an annoyed tone and strode from the boardroom without exchanging goodbyes.

Finally sinking into his desk chair in his office, he spun it around several times in boredom. That's when he noticed the pink note lying on his desk. His chair stopped mid-spin and he snatched it up, a mental picture of Sakura popping into his head. Unfolding the pink paper, he read the first few lines, and the uncharacteristic smile that had bloomed to life on his face disappeared. Reading further, a scowl took its place, then he crumpled the note into a ball and tossed it angrily at his trash can.

A minute later, he went and retrieved it, smoothing it out and rereading it.

_Dear Sasuke,_

_Why did you leave so suddenly? I woke up this morning and you were gone! Why didn't you wake me up? Did you leave with Sakura? I knew I couldn't trust her around you! There's something you should know about my sister. She's a bad person. She's done very horrible things in her life, and she can't be trusted. Meet up with me and I'll explain. I'll be at Cascara, that new bar on 52nd__, at around three o'clock. _

_Love ya, _

_Karin_

He gritted his teeth in annoyance. Did the woman really think that he wanted to meet up anywhere with her? But he sighed as he reread that one line. _'She's done very horrible things in her life, and she can't be trusted.'_ What did that mean? Sakura was annoying and cute and funny and strong-willed and stubborn, but she didn't seem like a bad person to him. Then again, he'd just met her the night before; Karin was her sister. It really wouldn't hurt to at least find out what she was talking about.

Making a quick decision, he grabbed his keys and wallet and left his office, calling out a cross goodbye to Angela, who was staring at him in surprise. He rode down in the elevator, his foot tapping in annoyance on the floor and trying not to acknowledge his male employee beside him, jabbering about his daughter and her new braces and the stock market. As soon as the doors whooshed open, he strode off, ignoring the employee's offer for dinner to go over his 'promotion'. Pfft, promotion. Were these people stupid?

He got into his car and drove to 52nd, pulling up in front of the bar. It was a classy place, but he barely noticed as he entered the front doors and searched the spacious establishment. The redhead was seated at a booth in the back, sipping some kind of red drink. She wore one of the most revealing outfits he'd ever seen, but he didn't reflect on that for more than a split second. He was too busy walking over to her, anger causing his voice to harden as he approached the booth and said, "You could have just come to my office."

Karin looked up, startled. Her clown-red painted lips curved into a smile and she replied, "Yes, but this place has alcohol. Besides, they don't check for ID."

He sat across from her, frowning as she scooted closer to him, her thighs almost touching his. "Look, I didn't come here for….._that_… I came to find out what the hell you meant about Sakura being a bad person."

She blinked, then smiled wider. "Oh, have I got a story for _you_."

**XxXxXx-.-.-.-.-xXxXxX**

"Can't….move…. Need….muffin…."

"Oh, shut up, loser!" Ino growled, pressing the button on the treadmill monitor to make it speed up. "You're still a fat, pathetic moron that eats twice her weight a day!"

"Ya know….your pep talks…aren't….so peppy…" Sakura puffed, struggling to keep running as her friend punched the button three more times.

"Hey, I'm your personal trainer here! I'm trying to help you with your horrible weight problem!"

Sakura's left eye twitched. "I. Am. Not. FAT!"

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, kiddo." Ino grinned evilly at her. "You better hurry up. If you don't burn one hundred more calories, I won't let you go and you'll miss your date with Mr. U-chi-ha!"

"It's…. Uchiha…. Moron…"

"Do you want to make it two hundred?!"

Half an hour later, Sakura had flopped into a puddle on the gym's women's shower floor, not caring that she was laying in someone else's filth. Ino surveyed her from a bench for several moments, then heaved a sigh and dragged her friend from the water's path by her feet. "Jesus, Sakura, why'd you work yourself to death? It's not very healthy! I told you to quit after the first hour!"

Sakura lifted her head and glared at her with a murderous expression. "Ino, if you don't help me up in five seconds, I'm gonna put my foot right up your--"

"Okay, okay, geez!" Ino helped her to her feet and handed her a towel. "And put some clothes on, this isn't a nudist colony! Although that would be interesting…"

Sakura rolled her eyes and dried herself off, dressing back into her clothes from earlier, toweling her hair roughly. Staring at herself in the mirror, she sighed. "Ino, do you think I'm pretty enough to be with a guy like Sasuke?"

Ino shrugged from her left. "I dunno, I've never met the guy. On a hottness scale of one to ten, what is his ranking?"

"Sixteen."

"Ouch." Ino shook her head sadly. "Sorry, hon, I'd give you an eight with make-up and great hair and awesome clothes."

Sagging against the mirror, Sakura blew out a long-suffering sigh. "Well, that's just it. I'm nowhere near pretty enough to date Sasuke. So why did he try so hard to get me to go out with him? I mean, the guy blackmailed me into one date! Then, he made me kiss him! I mean, really, that's just--"

"Wait, you kissed?! You didn't tell me that part!!!!!!!!" Ino squealed like a teenage girl. "Oh my God, how was it? Did it blow your mind?! Is he a good kisser?!"

Sakura paled as the blonde advanced on her, cowering against the mirror. "Uh--He-he-he kind of made me kiss him, a-and it was pretty good, and he's a good kisser….."

Ino grinned, settling back on the balls of her feet. "Congratulations, Sakura. Sasuke Uchiha, this guy who is supposedly a total hottie, has the hots for you. Welcome to Hell."

* * *

**I am so tired! My sister is yelling at me to get off the computer so she can go on myspace. Seriously. She's a moron. Anyways, I finally found the time and inspiration to type this up. Sorry if there are mistakes or if it seems not as good as usual. Please review.**


	5. Sweat and Lies Oh My!

**Ah, thanks everyone! I'm glad you didn't decide to kill me for not updating for so long. But I'm back, and I'm gonna update more often (hopefully) And I realize that this is laughable now--sorry, guys. A late happy holidays and happy New Year's to everyone! Go 2010!**

**Disclaimer: If I REALLY owned Naruto, I wouldn't be fat and poor. I'd be fat and RICH. Filthy rich. Muwahahaha! (Don't tell Masashi Kishimoto, but I'm planning on kidnapping Naruto tomorrow night. It's a secret.)**

* * *

_Recap:_

"_Wait, you kissed?! You didn't tell me that part!!!!!!!!" Ino squealed like a teenage girl. "Oh my God, how was it? Did it blow your mind?! Is he a good kisser?!"_

_Sakura paled as the blonde advanced on her, cowering against the mirror. "Uh--He-he-he kind of made me kiss him, a-and it was pretty good, and he's a good kisser….."_

_Ino grinned, settling back on the balls of her feet. "Congratulations, Sakura. Sasuke Uchiha, this guy who is supposedly a total hottie, has the hots for you. Welcome to Hell."_

**XxXxXx-.-.-.-.-xXxXxX**

"….is all of that true?" Sasuke was frowning, struggling to digest the well of information Karin had just given him.

"Of course!" she replied, sipping her third drink. "I _am_ her sister, after all. I would know all these things about her. And now you know. Now, do you really want to screw her?"

The ugly term made him angry for some reason. He glared at her and said, in his coldest voice, "That is none of your business. I have to get back to the office." Straightening from the booth, he reached into his wallet and extracted enough money to cover her drinks and his own untouched one.

Karin pouted disappointedly. "You're leaving? But, I thought we could--"

"I didn't want to sleep with you last night, and I certainly don't want to sleep with you today," he interrupted, his gaze like steel. "I appreciate you telling me these things, but appreciation only goes so far." And with that, he strolled out of the bar, as though he had not a care in the world.

Watching him go, Karin snarled furiously, startling a couple in the booth behind her. "Oh, you think you don't want me, Sasuke," she said aloud. "But once precious Sakura finds out just what sort of a man you are, you'll come crawling back to me. And she _will_ find out." And with a sudden smile, she too left, making sure she didn't leave a tip.

**XxXxXx-.-.-.-.-xXxXxX**

"Sakura! You're not jiggling anymore!"

The pink-haired girl's eye twitched painfully. "Gee, awesome to see you, Tenten. Could you leave again?"

Tenten grinned and accepted the plastic bag her friend handed her. "Aw, you don't mean that! How sweaty did you get my clothes?"

"Extra sweaty. Ino wouldn't let me get off," Sakura replied, grimacing as she ran a hand through her damp hair. "And now I have to go home and take a long, long shower before meeting Sasuke. By the way, how was _your_ date?"

"Ugh, horrible!" she groaned, then suddenly brightened and said, in a loud voice, "Oh, my date was brilliant! Keith was so handsome and such a gentleman! Everything about him is perfect, and I have another date with him this weekend!"

"Um, but I thought you said--"

"Sounds like your date was good," Neji's voice sounded behind Sakura, and she turned to find him standing there, a neutral expression on his face.

Tenten smiled sunnily as a light bulb went off in Sakura's head. "Oh yeah, it was terrific! He's taking me out for dinner again this weekend! …is that okay with you?" Her voice was sort of hopeful, and her chocolate eyes shined as she stared into his.

Neji shrugged. "Why wouldn't it be?" Ignoring her crestfallen expression, he continued, "So long as it doesn't interfere with the gym's open hours, it's fine with me. Well, I gotta go save Lee. Naruto decided to attack him _in _the bathroom this time."

She waited until he was out of earshot before shouting, "What a bastard! Who does he think he is, approving of my choices?! Ugh, what is his _problem_?!"

Sakura sweatdropped at her friend's ranting. "Um, Tenten, I thought you didn't _want_ him butting into your life? Isn't that what you two argued about this morning?"

"Well, yeah, but don't you get it, Sakura? I only flipped out because I want him to be jealous of me going on dates with Keith and I want him to take me in his arms and passionately kiss me, and order me to be his girlfriend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Tenten was breathing hard at the end of her rant and sagged visibly. "And Keith was so wretched! All he did was talk about his damn ex-girlfriend and how she left him for his best friend. I mean, hello, get a life, dude! And then, he made me pay half of the bill!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Sakura gasped. "He made you pay?! What a dweeb!"

"Exactly what I said!" Tenten blew out a frustrated breath, then gave her friend a tired smile. "Listen to me, going on and on. What are you going to do after you leave here?"

Sakura shrugged. "Uh, I'm not sure. I think Ino's kidnapping me or something…"

"You bet I am!" The blonde popped out of nowhere and startled the two girls, grinning evilly. "You're coming over to my place and getting ready."

The pink-haired girl's eyes widened in horror. "No way, I am NOT going to your apartment! Last time I was there, you almost shot me!"

"Oh, that was just a harmless little air gun, and I thought you were a burglar! I mean, what normal person sneaks in someone's window in the middle of the night?"

"Ino, it was two in the afternoon, you were passed out in a drunken stupor, and your door was locked!"

"That's what I meant."

Tenten shook her head and grinned at them despite her melancholy mood. "You two are a trip, ya know that? Seriously, you're like sisters!"

The word made Sakura frown as she recalled the previous night. "Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you guys about this part… Last night when Karin introduced Sasuke and I, she said I was her little sister! Can you believe that?"

"Lying tramp!" Ino growled, slinging an arm possessively over her friend's shoulders. "If I can't be your sister, then no one can!!!!!!"

The pink-haired girl just smiled. "If I didn't know you any better, I'd be scared of your threats."

"Yes, I am quiet scary, aren't I?"

"Like a witch. A drag queen witch."

"Keep it up, and I'll make you eat dog-poop. Don't forget, you still owe me."

Sakura groaned at the reminder. "Ino, I already said thank you! What more do you want?"

"Oh, I dunno…your undying devotion? You to be my personal slave? A really hot guy?"

"Well, Sasuke does have an older brother…"

Ino grinned. "Ooh! I do like older men…"

"Gross."

Tenten shook her head again, then said, "Well, as fun as this is, I've gotta get back to work or Mr. Stick-In-Ass will get pissed."

Sakura smiled sympathetically. "Don't worry, Tenten, he'll come around. Maybe you should get Lee to talk to him."

The brunette shuddered in horror at the thought. "Are you insane? Lee would be all, 'Youthful, youthful, youth-ity youth youth!' Anyways, bye, guys. Good luck, Sakura."

As she walked away, swinging the plastic bag in a sad way at her side, Sakura sighed. "That stupid Hyuga.. He needs to get his head out of his rear-end area and see how much she likes him.."

Ino rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. "As if! That boy has an anal-cranial infraction. His head is so far up his ass that he can see out of his penis."

A laugh bubbled up in Sakura's throat and burst out, and she had to cover her nose and mouth with her hand to keep herself from snorting. "Jesus, Ino! The things you say…!" she giggled through her hand.

The blonde girl shrugged. "Well, it's true! Now come on…." Her eyes glinted evilly as she grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the gym. "Time to beautify you for your date!"

"Jesus help me."

**XxXxXx-.-.-.-.-xXxXxX**

Sasuke sat at his desk in his office, spinning around in his chair over and over, kicking off with his foot and watching the room spin. He'd never been more bored in his life, and the bad thing was, there was a whole desk full of paperwork in front of him. He just couldn't concentrate on it. Sakura kept popping up in his head, and he tried to banish her using every method short of a mental nuclear bomb, but she was still there, smiling and laughing and ensuring that he got no work done.

Then there was, of course, the story that Karin had told him. He frowned even as he thought about it. Nothing she'd said had felt like the Sakura he knew. 'You don't really know her,' he reminded himself sternly. 'You just met her yesterday. For all you know, she could be a rapist in disguise!'

He smirked. If she was a rapist, she was a very bad one. He'd had to pretty much blackmail her into a date and a kiss, and he doubted (but really, really hoped) she'd let it go any farther tonight. Still, a guy could daydream… and drool… drool all over his desk and paperwork and….

Damn.

He got Angela to wipe up his drool (she wrinkled her nose and muttered something about getting paid overtime) then decided to skip out on the rest of the day and relax. Slipping his cell phone out of his pocket, he dialed the number he had listed under the name of "Dobe".

_"Yo yo, what up, peeps?! If you're listening to this, then I'm unattainable! Er, I mean, unavailable! I am attainable, ladies, I swear--What?! Teme, get the popcorn out of the microwave, it won't shut up! …no! No, I will not interrupt my answering machine message just to get YOUR popcorn out of YOUR microwave! …don't put any Gaybies on it this time, you antisocial--what's--why are you in the knife drawer--AHHHH! OH GOD, HE STABBED ME! HE--I'm just kidding, guys, he didn't stab me, don't call the cops--Teme, you bast--!"_

The beep sounded and Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Sometimes, most of the time, I question why we're friends. Listen, could you pick up your damn phone? I need something to do, I blew off work… Call me back, Dobe."

He hung up, and two seconds later the phone rang. Smirking, he answered the call as he got into his car. "Finally."

"_Shut up, you bastard_," his best friend's voice answered through the phone. "_I heard about your date tonight_."

Sasuke blinked. "How--?"

"_Sakura's a good friend, so if you're thinking of screwing around with her, I'll kick your ass. Remember when I got busted for blowing up that toilet and you couldn't come get me because you were getting a bikini wax--"_

"It was a massage, you 'tard…"

"_Whatever. Anyways, she's the one who bailed me out. I still owe her about eighty bucks for that… She used money out of her college fund, and I felt really bad about it. She's a good person, so you better treat her good, you jerk."_

Sasuke pulled out of his special parking space and out of the underground parking garage reserved for Uchiha Corps. employees, turning over this new information in his mind. No way could Sakura, the girl he'd spoken to earlier that day and the night before, the girl who bailed their idiot friend out of jail, the girl who worked two jobs to put herself through medical school, have done any of the things that Karin had told him about. Which left only one possible explanation.

Karin was a jealous bitch (spot on!!!!!!!) who couldn't stand to see her sister going out with a guy she'd tried really (_really_) hard to sleep with. She was also a liar.

"_Hey Teme, why're you so quiet? You're always quiet, but never like_--" He gave a very loud girly shriek and Sasuke winced, holding the phone away from his ear. "_You're picturing Sakura naked, aren't you?! You're such a pervert, Teme, thinking of my dear Sakura like that!!!!!!!!!!!"_

"I'm not--" Sasuke blew out a frustrated breath and wondered what use it was explaining anything to the idiot. "Go crawl into a corner somewhere and die. No, wait, on second thought, I'm bored. You doing anything at the moment?"

There was a pause on the other end of the line, then Naruto laughed nervously. "_Uh, no, I'm, uh, not doing anything special--I mean, nothing, nothing! Ahahahahahaha_--"

Sasuke sighed. "You challenged Chouji to another ramen-eating duel, didn't you?"

"_No, I did not! …he challenged me! I had to uphold my honor_!"

Smirking openly, Sasuke said, "Look, you're never gonna beat him. Chouji is the king of eating." He hesitated for a second. "Look, come over to my place and tell me about Sakura. I don't know her too well, but I really like her."

Naruto hmphed. "_Why should I help you_?" He yelled something unintelligible to someone in the background, then said, "_Fine, I'll help you--but just because Sakura hasn't had a date in, like, forever, and I want her to be happy. So you better not break her heart, you dickweed."_

"Yeah yeah, just hurry up," Sasuke told him with a bite to his voice. He didn't want to talk about anything having to do with hearts.

"_Okay, okay, jeez, impatient much_?" the blonde huffed from the other end of the line. "_If you're just trying to get me alone, I have to tell you that I will not have sex with you--at least, if I'm sober--"_

"I'm hanging up now."

**XxXxXx-.-.-.-.-xXxXxX**

"I never knew that eyeliner could be so demonic."

Ino stuck her tongue out at her friend and said, "Quit squirming around and I won't have to poke you in the eye again!"

"You said that was an accident!"

"I lied!"

Sakura had to control the impulse to roll her eyes. Ino plus eye pencil in hand multiplied by attitude equals her eyes being red on her date from excessive poking. At the thought of her date, her tummy erupted into butterflies and she began to worry if this was normal. "Ino, I feel horrible. My stomach is queasy, my heart is going a mile a minute, and I'm starting to sweat terribly. Is this normal?"

The blonde girl blinked for a second, then giggled. "Sakura, that is completely normal. You're going on a date with (I'll take your word for it) a really super hot guy! I'd be worried if you _weren't_ feeling nervous!" She resumed applying the black eyeliner to her left eye and added, "You must really like this guy, Forehead. I've never seen you fidgeting so much."

"I…" Sakura fell silent as she contemplated that. Sure, Sasuke was hot and all (and she already knew he put out), but that wasn't why she liked him. Sure, he had pretty much blackmailed her into a date, but if she'd really wanted to, she could have kicked him in the nuts or punched him in the neck and ran for help…. But she'd agreed to his insane proposal, and why? Because she liked him. Under his cool player exterior, she just knew that there was a sensitive, hopeful boy just waiting for some special girl to bring him out. And yeah, that sounds corny, and entirely cliché, but she wanted to be that special girl. She _would _be that girl. "I guess I do."

Ino made a humming noise in her throat. "Don't talk, hon, your skin moves when your jaw does."

After Ino had kidnapped her, Sakura had been dragged to the girl's apartment and subjected to such tortures as a luxurious hot shower, deep-set conditioner, a hairdryer, fluffy yellow towels, and expensive make-up. Horrible. She was now sitting on Ino's toilet (with the cover down, of course), wrapped in one of those towels and allowing the blonde to beautify her. It was actually nice to hand the reins to an expert and just move when asked to move. It was relaxing, even.

"Do you want to wear something of mine, or are you going home for something?" Ino asked her now, requiring her to break the rule and move her jaw.

"Um, I don't really want to go home," Sakura murmured. "But I suppose I should tell Karin that I won't be home. She doesn't get home from work for another two hours, so I can go there, get dressed, and leave her a note saying I'm working."

Ino pursed her lips in disapproval. "You have nothing to hide, Sakura. Just tell her you're going on a date with super hunky Uchiha and let her stew all night over how much of a bitch she is."

Sakura shrugged awkwardly. "I just don't want her to know yet, Ino. I'll tell her about it if this date goes well. If it doesn't…" She shrugged again. "Then she'll never know."

Ino pulled out a tube of black mascara and unscrewed it as she gave her friend a sly look. "So… are you going to sleep with him?"

Sakura colored a dark shade of pink. "I-Ino! No, I am NOT going to sleep with him! Jeez, what do you think I am, some kind of whore?!"

"Oh, calm down, I didn't say that! But, if he's such a hottie, he's gonna be thinking that he's gonna get some after going to all this trouble to get you out with him. Did you think of that?"

'Yes,' Sakura thought silently. Aloud she said, "Sasuke knows I'm not one of his little whore girlfriends. If he _is_ expecting to get some, he'll be sorely disappointed. Now just get on with the make-up and stop gossiping."

Ino secretly smiled as her friend closed her eyes. 'Yeah right, Forehead,' she thought giddily. 'If you're still a virgin tomorrow morning, I'll stab myself in the leg with a fork.'

* * *

**Wow. This is, like, really late. It's six a.m. right now, and I am listening to Eminem's Mockingbird, and I really need to pee, so I'm going to end it here. Read and review, y'all.**


	6. Revelations, Revelations

**Wow, so, uh… Let's just pretend I went on for six pages, apologizing profusely for not updating, kay? Forgive me, great, let's get on with it!**

**Disclaimer: Fluffy bunnies could not keep me away from kicking Madara's ass with a metal detector if I owned Naruto. Thus, his ass is still intact because I do not own Naruto.**

**Enjoy! Or… y'know… don't… whatever….**

_Ino pulled out a tube of black mascara and unscrewed it as she gave her friend a sly look. "So… are you going to sleep with him?"_

_Sakura colored a dark shade of pink. "I-Ino! No, I am NOT going to sleep with him! Jeez, what do you think I am, some kind of whore?"_

_"Oh, calm down, I didn't say that! But, if he's such a hottie, he's gonna be thinking that he's gonna get some after going to all this trouble to get you out with him. Did you think of that?"_

_'Yes,' Sakura thought silently. Aloud she said, "Sasuke knows I'm not one of his little whore girlfriends. If he is expecting to get some, he'll be sorely disappointed. Now just get on with the make-up and stop gossiping."_

_Ino secretly smiled as her friend closed her eyes. 'Yeah right, Forehead,' she thought giddily. 'If you're still a virgin tomorrow morning, I'll stab myself in the leg with a fork.'_

* * *

Naruto, it turned out, was a vast well of information. Unfortunately, it was all completely useless.

"Do you have anything to tell me that hasn't been drowned in stupid?" Sasuke asked finally after a fifteen minute long lecture about socks.

"Well, she went to the prom with me senior year, but she told me it was only because she didn't have a date and she'd already bought the dress. We danced a little, but I think I broke… six of her toes? Yeah, two on the left, four on the right-"

"I don't care."

"Won the fifth grade spelling bee-"

"Don't care."

"Student body president-"

"Don't care."

"Used to be a man."

"Don't-_WHAT_?"

"Ha! Gotcha! I-HEY, I NEED THAT! FOR LOVE-MAKING!"

"…you need this bowl of ramen to have sex? Try Viagra, dude."

"Whatever. Where was I? Um… oh! She was arrested our junior year-No, Sasuke-teme, that was true!"

Sasuke paused, poised above the trash can, the bowl tipped precariously in his hands. "What, you mean she _was_ arrested?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, she did something-maybe it was at a protest-she was an activist for basically everything-One time, she actually dressed up in a dolphin costume to protest the pollution in that lake-"

"A dolphin costume?" Sasuke tried to picture the Sakura he knew in such a suit and shook his head.

"Oh yeah. She actually fashioned up one of those plastic thingies off of soda packs and put it around her neck, then spent six hours flopping around on the ground moaning. And the mayor put up signs the very next day, and eventually that environmental law got passed."

"Hn. Doesn't sound like a girl with a 'loose reputation'," Sasuke thought aloud.

Naruto's mouth dropped open. "Loose-? Who told you that my Sakura-chan is a loose woman?"

"Do we have to keep saying 'loose'?"

"You said it first!"

"Well, that's what her sister said!"

He cocked his head to the side and stared at him. "Sister? Sakura-chan doesn't _have_ a sister."

"Idiot, they live together!"

"No, she lives with _Karin_, winged beast of whore hell…."

"But…." Sasuke frowned. "She said that Sakura was her sister. And Sakura just… went along with it."

The blonde shrugged indifferently. "She musta had her reasons. But just so you know, Sakura-chan is _definitely_ not a loose woman-In fact, I'll be surprised if she's not still a _virgin_-Hey, why are you hitting your head against the wall like that?"

"Virgin, virgin, virgin-" Sasuke muttered darkly to himself as he, indeed, slammed his head repeatedly into the wall. "Stupid, stupid, stupid…. Of _course_ she's a virgin, you imbecile, why didn't you _think_ of that? Stupid, stupid, stupid-"

"Uh, Sasuke-teme, normally I wouldn't interrupt such an obvious display of your psychotic nature-But _please_, for the love of _God_, _put the ramen down_! Then you can kill yourself."

**XxXxXx-.-.-.-.-xXxXxX**

Sakura was nervous as she stood before her closet, surveying the clothes in it that suddenly seemed way too childish to wear on a date with _him_. Everything she pulled out was too dressy or too casual, too plain or too showy, too big or too small… After ten minutes of her mashion feltdown, she called Ino in desperation.

"I knew you'd call," her friend replied warmly. "It was all over your face when you left here. Have I got the outfit for you! Be over in fifteen."

Fourteen minutes later, she breezed in with a garment bag over one shoulder and an overlarge purse in hand. "Oh honey, don't stand there in your skivvies, you'll catch a cold," she scolded as she caught sight of her friend still standing before her closet in her underwear. "And don't wear those horrible granny-panties-I'm glad I brought some _real_ stuff for you!"

"I'm not wearing a thong."

"Yes you are, but let's not argue, just take it off."

Sakura sighed, but did as she was told. Truthfully, she should feel more embarrassed than she did, stripping in front of someone, but it was just Ino, and heavens knew she'd had to undress the blonde girl plenty of times after a night on the town when she didn't want to let her sleep in vomit-soaked clothes. "Alright, please tell me you remembered that I'm not a D-cup. Last time was embarrassing."

"Relax, I got your B…. And for the record, I have promised myself not to laugh at your tiny boobs, so chill."

"I hate you."

"Love you too, sweetie. Here." Ino handed her a white bra and some scrap of lace that really appeared to be a torture device.

"…thongs are so confusing."

Five minutes later, she was successfully clothed in the weird underwear and was scowling at her friend, who for the moment was the bad guy. "Alright, I put the crap on, now what?" she asked.

Ino pulled the zipped on the garment bag and withdrew a pretty white dress and dug around in her purse, producing a pair of light pink sandals, a matching sash, and a bottle of liquid. "Ku ku ku ku ku…" she chuckled as she advanced on her friend, who was shrinking away nervously. "Don't worry, this won't hurt _me_…."

**XxXxXx-.-.-.-.-xXxXxX**

"Alright, now that I'm done with that mini-meltdown, do you have anything else to tell me?"

Naruto shrugged. "I dunno, you're the one asking stupid questions. How the hell am I supposed to know if Sakura-chan likes roses or not? Oh, by the way, she likes orchids. Oh, and get her some gummy bears. She has a weird and possibly sexual relationship with them."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and took a sip of his soda. "Alright, orchids and gummy bears. Anything else?"

"Well, if you wanna get in her pants-_which you better not, you bastard_-you could get her talking about saving the planet and agree with everything she says."

"Oh, she's one of _those_? A tree-hugger?"

"If you call her that, she'll punch you in the happy timers."

"Right, steer clear of that term." Sasuke thought carefully for a minute, then smirked. "Alright, so I know she's going to medical school. Has she always wanted to be a doctor?"

Again, the blonde shrugged. "I guess so. She's never really talked about it much. I expected her to become a vet like Kiba or something, but she just up and decided to be a doctor. Might be because she's allergic to cats…"

"Crap." Sasuke turned to look at the gray feline curled up on Naruto's lap and grimaced. "Guess I can't bring her back here, then."

"Or is she allergic to peanuts? I can't remember."

"…..I hate you."

**XxXxXx-.-.-.-.-xXxXxX**

Sakura stared at herself in the mirror in shock. The dress was amazing. It had a halter top bodice that showed a tiny bit of cleavage and clung to her torso and flared at the waist, the skirt reaching to just above her knees. Ino had tied the pink sash around her waist into a huge bow and the pumps actually were more comfortable to walk in than she'd originally thought, and gave her much needed height.

"Admit it: I'm a genius!" Ino crowed happily, clapping her hands as her friend continued her speechless state. "I accept credit cards."

Sakura turned to stare at her and her mouth opened, then closed, then opened again. "Uh… th-thanks, Ino," she stammered, dropping the affectionate nickname in her seriousness. "I look great. And I love having my hair up like this." She reached up and gently patted the mass of curls atop her head. "What is it called again?"

"A chignon," Ino replied absently, admiring her handiwork with the pride of a painter. "You look awesome! That boy better appreciate all the trouble I'm going to for him!"

"Um…." Sakura decided to leave that comment alone and glanced at herself one last time in the mirror before she sighed dreamily. "What time is it?"

"Uh… It's fifteen till seven. Crap, I gotta go get ready for work." Her nose wrinkled at the word, then smoothed out. "Oh! Almost forgot-I also got you this really cute purse I bought a few months ago-" She reached into her giant purse and pulled out a much smaller pink purse with a bejeweled clutch and a loose strap.

Sakura rolled her eyes, but accepted the purse. "Okay, Mary Poppins… You got a carriage in there to carry me to the bar?"

"Ha, funny. Now, the very least you can do is show me to the door."

Grabbing her money and keys, Sakura led the way out of her room, then her giggle caught in her throat. "Oh shizz-Karin!"

**XxXxXx-.-.-.-.-xXxXxX**

"Nooooooo! I don't wanna leave yet!"

"Get. Out!" Sasuke growled as he tried unsuccessfully to dislodge his blonde friend from the couch. "I have to get ready for my date!"

"Oooh, wear that blue shirt, it really brings out the weird in your eyes-DAMNIT, SASUKE-TEME, STOP TOUCHING ME THERE!"

The Uchiha kept tickling his sides until finally (_finally, damnit_) Naruto loosened his grip on the cushions and he practically carried him out the door and plunked him down in the hallway. "Now go home; or better yet, go to the gym. It was entirely too easy to carry you out here," he said with a smirk as Naruto hissed like an angry cat and swiped at him with his paw.

"Fine, fine, I'll go, but-" Naruto's expression suddenly became serious and he stood up and stared his friend in the eye. "Be good to her, Uchiha. She's a sweet girl, and I don't want you to corrupt her. So, no sexing of any kind."

Sasuke shrugged carelessly. "Alright, but if she starts sexing me first, I'm not going to _complain_."

"I mean it!" he barked uncharacteristically, startling Sasuke into silence. "Promise me you won't break her! Promise!"

Their eyes met. In a gentle voice that he didn't recognize, Sasuke said, "I promise."

"…good." Then a wide grin took over the blonde's face. "I wouldn't even have to bother kicking your ass if you did, anyway. I forgot to mention that Sakura is a black belt and as a regular recipient of her fist, I can tell you that she would _beat you into a bloody pulp. _Well, goodbye!"

For some reason, the information made Sasuke pale and cross his legs as his friend skipped happily away.

**XxXxXx-.-.-.-.-xXxXxX**

"Oh.. Karin…." Sakura bit her lip and glanced back at Ino, who was openly glaring at the redhead. "I… I thought you were working!"

She smirked and flipped her hair. "Nope. I had a hot date." Her gaze slid down Sakura, then back up to her face. "Aww, are you two going somewhere? A dark movie theater, possibly?"

Sakura flushed at the insult and her eyelashes flew down to hide the hurt in her eyes. Ino defensively shot back, "Actually, Sakura's got a hot date as well, and she looks _hotter_ than your skanky ass!"

"I-Ino…"

The smirk Karin was sporting didn't dim. She lifted one bar shoulder in a shrug and replied, "I'll accept that comment as jealousy. Besides, Sasuke-kun didn't seem to find me unattractive."

"S-Sasuke? Y-you mean that guy from last night?"

Karin nodded at Sakura's obvious shock, then sighed wistfully. "Let me just say that he is a _fabulous_ lover. We were at it like…uh…really horny people!"

"Articulate, you are," Ino muttered sarcastically.

Her comment was ignored. "You know, I'm not surprised you didn't like him, Sakura. You two have absolutely nothing in common. I mean, Sasuke-kun is probably the exact opposite of you in political views and such."

"How so?" Sakura asked before she could think better of it.

The redhead gave her a pitying look and continued, "Well, I know that he has no love for nature. In fact, I'm pretty sure his company was responsible for the fall of that campaign you had going about a year ago… Save the forest or something. They chopped all the trees down and are turning the spot into a new condominium, I believe…"

"Oh no!" she gasped. "Not the Okinawa Forest! He… he really did that….?"

Ino saw where this was going and immediately put a hand on her friend's shoulder and said, "You can't listen to a word she says, Forehead… We'll find out for ourselves if it's true or not. Until then, just reserve judgment."

Sakura nodded dazedly. Her mind was whirling at the possibility of Karin's statement being true. How could she have been so careless? She didn't know anything about Uchiha Sasuke-Why had she just walked into this situation blind?

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**I'll stop here, 'cause I have to get off and I really, really wanted to get this chapter up and running. I'm not entirely pleased with this chapter-for one, this date is dragging out forever. I wrote the first few pages of this chapter yesterday, then just typed up the rest, and the flow is weird. But still, review please and don't be upset at the long wait. I write when I'm inspired.**

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RECAP:


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